Gore Verbinski is a good director who might just need the proper project to spark him back to life after The Lone Ranger.Steve Carell is an actor transitioning from one career phase to another, thanks to Foxcatcher (above). The idea of the two of them working together on a thriller is pretty intriguing, and that’s just what’s happening on an as-yet untitled new film that New Regency is putting together right now.

What details we have on that are below, but there’s more: Verbinski and New Regency are actually putting together a package of three films the director might do in fairly quick succession.

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The Splinter Cell movie took a big leap forward earlier this month when Doug Limansigned on to direct, and now it’s taking another. Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air) has been tapped to write a new draft of the screenplay, taking over for Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle). Tom Hardy is still set for the lead role.

Briefly:Darren Aronofsky and New Regency have had a good relationship; the director made The Fountain under an old first-look deal with New Regency, and they worked together to produce Noah, which New Regency financed with Paramount. And while there’s been talk of difficulties with Paramount and Noah, it seems like Aronofsky and New Regency are working together well enough to sign a new deal.

Aronofsky and his Protozoa Pictures signed a new three-year first-look deal with New Regency for feature development, at the same time as Protozoa has signed a similar deal with HBO to develop shows for Aronofsky to direct for television.

“It is a thrill to be re-teaming with my old friends at New Regency,” Aronofsky said. “Arnon [Milchan] has been a great supporter since we made The Fountain together. It is a golden age for the small screen and moving into that realm with HBO as partners is a dream come true. I am excited to see Protozoa’s output explode over the next few years.” [Deadline]

The Assassin’s Creed adaptation suddenly got a lot more interesting when Michael Fassbender was cast as the lead, and now it’s adding some intriguing talent behind the scenes as well. New Regency and Ubisoft have hired Michael Lesslie to pen the screenplay. If Lesslie’s name doesn’t seem familiar, that’s probably because he’s relatively unknown as a screenwriter. Instead, the 20something up-and-comer has gained acclaim as a writer of plays and the occasional short film.

Between last year’s Warrior and The Thing and this year’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Great Gatsby, and the untitled Kathryn Bigelow thriller, there’s no doubt Joel Edgerton is one of the hottest rising stars in Hollywood. But if his recent sale to New Regency is any indication, he could soon be making his mark as a screenwriter as well. The company purchased his spec script One Night Stand late last year, and is now eagerly moving forward with the project. Edgerton is not attached to star, though he will executive produce. More details after the jump.

Jim Henson‘s hit ’80s puppet TV series Fraggle Rock has been on the verge of moving to the big screen for several years. The Weinstein Company had the rights, a director, and a distinct vision of what they wanted, but years passed with very little movement save for a few scattered rumors. Deadline is now reporting the rights to the series reverted, were shopped around Hollywood, and went to the highest bidder: New Regency. They’re the same company currently swimming in cash thanks to another Eighties family TV show turned film franchise: Alvin and the Chipmunks. Maybe “another day” is finally here. Read more after the break. Read More »